Abstract
Failure of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in advanced germ cell tumour (GCT) is associated with a poor outcome. High-dose chemotherapy and auto-SCT is one therapeutic option, although the long-term outcome after this procedure is unclear. We conducted a multicentre cohort study of consecutive patients undergoing a single auto-SCT for GCT between January 1986 and December 2004. Of 71 subjects, median follow-up is 10.1 years. OS at 5 years is 44.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 32.9–56.5%) and EFS is 43.5% (95% CI 31.4–55.1%). There were seven (10%) treatment-related deaths within 100 days of auto-SCT. Three (4.2%) patients developed secondary malignancies. Of 33 relapses, 31 occurred within 2 years of auto-SCT. Two very late relapses were noted 13 and 11 years after auto-SCT. In multivariate analysis, favourable outcome was associated with IGCCC (International Germ Cell Consensus Classification) good prognosis disease at diagnosis, primary gonadal disease and response to salvage chemotherapy. We conclude that auto-SCT results in successful outcome for a relatively large subgroup of patients with high-risk GCT. Late relapses may occur, a finding not previously reported.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Einhorn LH . Treatment of testicular cancer: a new and improved model. J Clin Oncol 1990; 8: 1777–1781.
Rick O, Bokemeyer C, Beyer J, Hartmann JT, Schwella N, Kingreen D et al. Salvage treatment with paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin plus high-dose carboplatin, etoposide, and thiotepa followed by autologous stem-cell rescue in patients with relapsed or refractory germ cell cancer. J Clin Oncol 2001; 19: 81–88.
Bhatia S, Abonour R, Porcu P, Seshadri R, Nichols CR, Cornetta K et al. High-dose chemotherapy as initial salvage chemotherapy in patients with relapsed testicular cancer. J Clin Oncol 2000; 18: 3346–3351.
McNeish IA, Kanfer EJ, Haynes R, Giles C, Harland SJ, Driver D et al. Paclitaxel-containing high-dose chemotherapy for relapsed or refractory testicular germ cell tumours. Br J Cancer 2004; 90: 1169–1175.
Ayash LJ, Clarke M, Silver SM, Braun T, Uberti J, Ratanatharathorn V et al. Double dose-intensive chemotherapy with autologous stem cell support for relapsed and refractory testicular cancer: the University of Michigan experience and literature review. Bone Marrow Transplant 2001; 27: 939–947.
Beyer J, Rick O, Siegert W, Bokemeyer C . Salvage chemotherapy in relapsed germ cell tumors. World J Urol 2001; 19: 90–93.
Rick O, Kollmannsberger C, Hartmann JT, Braun T, Siegert W, Bokemeyer C et al. The role of high-dose chemotherapy in relapsed germ cell tumors. World J Urol 2004; 22: 25–32.
Pico JL, Rosti G, Kramar A, Wandt H, Koza V, Salvioni R et al. A randomised trial of high-dose chemotherapy in the salvage treatment of patients failing first-line platinum chemotherapy for advanced germ cell tumours. Ann Oncol 2005; 16: 1152–1159.
Einhorn LH, Williams SD, Chamness A, Brames MJ, Perkins SM, Abonour R . High-dose chemotherapy and stem-cell rescue for metastatic germ-cell tumors. N Engl J Med 2007; 357: 340–348.
Lorch A, Kollmannsberger C, Hartmann JT, Metzner B, Schmidt-Wolf IG, Berdel WE et al. Single versus sequential high-dose chemotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory germ cell tumors: a prospective randomized multicenter trial of the German Testicular Cancer Study Group. J Clin Oncol 2007; 25: 2778–2784.
International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group. International Germ Cell Consensus Classification: a prognostic factor-based staging system for metastatic germ cell cancers. J Clin Oncol 1997; 15: 594–603.
Vaena DA, Abonour R, Einhorn LH . Long-term survival after high-dose salvage chemotherapy for germ cell malignancies with adverse prognostic variables. J Clin Oncol 2003; 21: 4100–4104.
Agarwal R, Dvorak CC, Stockerl-Goldstein KE, Johnston L, Srinivas S . High-dose chemotherapy followed by stem cell rescue for high-risk germ cell tumors: the Stanford experience. Bone Marrow Transplant 2009; 43: 547–552.
Müller AM, Ihorst G, Waller CF, Dölken G, Finke J, Engelhardt M . Intensive chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation during a 10-year period in 64 patients with germ cell tumor. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2006; 12: 355–365.
Kollmannsberger C, Schleucher N, Rick O, Metzner B, Hartmann JT, Schöffski P et al. Analysis of salvage treatments for germ cell cancer patients who have relapsed after primary high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem cell support. Eur J Cancer 2003; 39: 775–782.
Motzer RJ, Mazumdar M, Bosl GJ, Bajorin DF, Amsterdam A, Vlamis V . High-dose carboplatin, etoposide, and cyclophosphamide for patients with refractory germ cell tumors: treatment results and prognostic factors for survival and toxicity. J Clin Oncol 1996; 14: 1098–1105.
Mandanas RA, Saez RA, Epstein RB, Confer DL, Selby GB . Long-term results of autologous marrow transplantation for relapsed or refractory male or female germ cell tumors. Bone Marrow Transplant 1998; 21: 569–576.
Hartmann JT, Einhorn L, Nichols CR, Droz JP, Horwich A, Gerl A et al. Second-line chemotherapy in patients with relapsed extragonadal nonseminomatous germ cell tumors: results of an international multicenter analysis. J Clin Oncol 2001; 19: 1641–1648.
Castillo-Avila W, Piulats JM, Garcia Del Muro X, Vidal A, Condom E, Casanovas O et al. Sunitinib inhibits tumor growth and synergizes with cisplatin in orthotopic models of cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant human testicular germ cell tumors. Clin Cancer Res 2009; 15: 3384–3395.
Beyer J, Kramar A, Mandanas R, Linkesch W, Greinix A, Droz JP et al. High-dose chemotherapy as salvage treatment in germ cell tumors: a multivariate analysis of prognostic variables. J Clin Oncol 1996; 14: 2638–2645.
Oldenburg J, Wahlqvist R, Fosså SD . Late relapse of germ cell tumors. World J Urol 2009; 27: 493–500.
Toner GC . Clinical relevance of ‘late’ in the management of late relapse after treatment for a germ cell tumor. J Clin Oncol 2008; 26: 5502–5503.
Baniel J, Foster RS, Gonin R, Messemer JE, Donohue JP, Einhorn LH . Late relapse of testicular cancer. J Clin Oncol 1995; 13: 1170–1176.
Houck W, Abonour R, Vance G, Einhorn LH . Secondary leukemias in refractory germ cell tumor patients undergoing autologous stem-cell transplantation using high-dose etoposide. J Clin Oncol 2004; 22: 2155–2158.
Lazarus HM, Stiff PJ, Carreras J, Logan BR, Akard L, Bolwell BJ et al. Utility of single versus tandem autotransplants for advanced testes/germ cell cancer: a center for international blood and marrow transplant research (CIBMTR) analysis. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2007; 13: 778–789.
Rick O, Beyer J, Kingreen D, Schwella N, Krusch A, Schleicher J et al. High-dose chemotherapy in germ cell tumours: a large single centre experience. Eur J Cancer 1998; 34: 1883–1888.
Acknowledgements
We thank Janet Nitta and Erin Richardson for their assistance with the registry data.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Seftel, M., Paulson, K., Doocey, R. et al. Long-term follow-up of patients undergoing auto-SCT for advanced germ cell tumour: a multicentre cohort study. Bone Marrow Transplant 46, 852–857 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2010.250
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2010.250